I said in my last post that dietary changes are only half the solution for better health. Here is the other half. In the course of writing my last article, I came across guidelines coming directly from the US Department of Health and Human Services, who commissioned in 2018 the Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee. I will share the results of what they found. One way I will limit the scope of this article is these are guidelines for adults. If folks are interested in guidelines for children, adolescents or older adults just leave a comment below and I can speak to that.
What are some dangers of not engaging in regular physical activity? Sedentary behavior increases the risk of “all-cause mortality”, in other words practically every cause of death, specifically cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and colon, endometrial and lung cancers.
What is the minimum threshold of physical activity? In other words, how much activity do we need to do before it ‘counts’? The data seems to clear: “Any activity counts. Move more and sit less throughout the day.” In other words there is no minimum threshold, just doing something gives us some benefits. What if one wants the most benefits?
One of the key findings is the recommendation is that adults get 150 – 300 minutes (2.5 – 5 hours) of moderate exercise, or 75-150 mins of vigorous activity per week. Additional benefits are gained if we include muscle-strengthening activity (lifting weights, push ups, etc) at least 2 days each week.
What’s the difference between moderate and vigorous exercise? Use the talk test. During moderate exercise people can talk, but not sing. During vigorous exercise a person can’t say more than a few words without pausing for breath.
Let me break down three kinds of physical activity defined in the guidelines, as they are all important. What are the different types of activities covered?
- Aerobic: brisk walking, jogging, running, swimming, bicycling, etc.
- Muscle strengthening: weights, resistance bands, body weight exercises, carrying loads, heavy gardening, etc
- Bone-strengthening: This is physical activity” that produces an impact or tension force on the bones that promotes bone growth and strength. It is also called weight-bearing or weight-loading activity.” Running, jumping rope and lifting weights are examples
One thing to note is that these can overlap! For example bone-strengthening exercises can also be aerobic and muscle strengthening, so we can be satisfying multiple requirements at once.
Okay, now for the fun part. What are the benefits? There are a whole host of benefits! They include:
- Lowered risk of:
- ‘All-cause’ mortality
- Cardiovascular disease
- High blood pressure
- Type 2 diabetes
- Bad lipid profile
- Eight different kinds of cancer
- Dementia, falls and related injuries for older adults
- Postpartum depression for pregnant women
- Reduction of:
- Anxiety, depression, weight or weight gain
- Pain of osteoarthritis
- Disease progression for high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes
- Improvement in:
- Cognitive function
- Quality of life
- Sleep
- Bone health
- Physical function
- Insulin sensitivity. High insulin sensitivity allows the cells of the body to use blood glucose more effectively, reducing blood sugar
Let’s be honest, Americans do a lot of things right, and but we also do some things wrong. One of them is insufficient exercise. Exercise need not be tedious, or annoying, or something we dread. Find something fun to do, think of the benefits, and try.